Earlier today, my wife and sons went to the Ancient City in Samut Prakarn. If you haven't been there, by all means go at least once. The Ancient City features meticulous replicas of Thailand's most significant landmarks and monuments. You can bicycle around the park, take a tour on a tram, or rent a golf cart. You can spend a full day at the Ancient City and still not see everything it has to offer.

Anyhow, upon reaching the Preah Vihear, we decided to take a break and get some cold drinks. My wife and sons walked over to the small store selling drinks and snacks while I went over to the stairs of the Preah Vihear to shoot some photos. After about ten minutes I proceeded to the store where they were sitting. Before I could get there, both of my sons ran over to me and said, "There's a snake eating a Gecko over there, check it out!" We walked over and lo and behold, a snake was putting the squeeze on a Gecko.

I wasn't positive what type of snake it was but I originally thought it was some sort of constrictor. Come to find out, this might be a Golden Tree Snake (waiting for confirmation), which is mildly venomous. Their venom is generally harmless to most humans though and they prey upon lizards, Geckos, and frogs.

We spent approximately two hours atop the Preah Vihear and when we came down, the snake was just beginning to slide the tip of the Gecko's head down his gullet. In addition to the many photos I shot, I also managed to film the snake for several minutes. See the footage in the YouTube video shown aboe.

I'm no snake expert but I do know a fair amount about them. Several kids came up to see what was going on and a couple of them wanted to tease or kill it. I wouldn't let them. First, this is how people get bitten, second, it's just not right, and third, if you leave snakes alone, most of the time they want to get as far away from you as possible. There are snakes everywhere in Thailand. I've seen cobras on Bangkok's busy streets and various other snakes in Phuket and Surat Thani.

Unless you're a herpetologist, it's best to stay away from snakes. There's no reason to handle them, kill them, or attempt to move them unless they present a danger to you or your family. If you want to see many of Southeast Asia's native snakes, visit the Snake Farm (Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute) at the Red Cross Institute.